Paradigm Shift: Rapid Growth
by Hope Eien no
Summary: SPOILERS. Set after the end of FFXIII and incorporates some aspects of FFXIII-2. Hope is in turmoil after Lightning disappears and wants nothing but to see her again. Hope X Lightning
1. Chapter 1 Base of Cocoons Pillar000AF

_**Hey guys, so this if my first ever fanfic, have got 3 more chapters planned after this one, but will only complete and upload them if your feedback says so because I don't see the point in continuing a storyline that no-one is reading :P So please leave feedback, both constructive and positive, it would be greatly appreciated because I have never done anything like this before and feedback/reviews will hopefully help me develop my skills. **_

_**Anyways my story is set after the ending of FFXIII and incorporates some of the events in FFXIII-2 except that Hope does not go and try to find his dad. Hope you enjoy reading it and I look forward to hearing from you all ^_^**_

_**Oh and All characters and some story aspects are owned primarily by Square Enix, though the general story is mine :)**_

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**Paradigm Shift: Rapid Growth - Chapter 1**

_Base of Cocoons Pillar (000AF)_

Snow lifted Serah off her feet and into a tight embrace; this was the first time the couple had met since the blonde had seen the younger Farron turn to crystal. Sazh and Dajh had also been reunited for the first time since the events in Nautilus and Sazhs chocobo chick was chirping happily to finally be reunited with the former Sanctum l'cie.

Everybody was happy.

Everybody had somebody.

Everybody but Hope that was.

Hope looked straight passed the 2 heart-warming reunions taking place in front of him. He scanned the horizon with those large aqua eyes, just searching for a familiar face. Deep down Hope knew that there would be nobody, Vanille and Fang were encased in Cocoons pillar, even a miracle couldn't bring his mother back from the dead and his father had most likely been purged by the Sanctum. This didn't bother the silver haired boy much though, he had long ago come to terms with the death of his mother and he never had the strongest of relationships with his father anyway. Sure he was upset that he had lost Fang and Vanille, but he was never that close to Fang and he could never quite shake the feeling that Vanille had more than just friendly intentions.

The silverette turned around to look behind him and was greeted by nothing but a sharp gust of wind and empty Pulsian fields. Hope felt a pang in his heart, something was missing or, more specifically, someone was missing.

'Wait… Snow, where is my sister? Where is Claire?' Serah had pulled away from her fiancé and was now staring up at him with angst.

'Don't worry, sis couldn't have gone far' Snow replied with his usual cocky grin.

Overhearing the conversation Sazh started issuing orders 'Well she is bound to be around here somewhere, right? Why don't we split up and try and find her? '

'Snow, you and Serah head east, over to those cliffs, me and Dajh will head west and Hope you and urrhh…' There was an awkward pause as Sazh realised that Hope was alone and had nobody to pair up with.

'Why don't you just stay here in case soldier girl comes back?' Sazh chose his words carefully as to try and avoid upsetting the younger former l'cie.

He did not succeed.

Hope didn't need Sazhs pity, he did not accept it. He had become stronger under Lights command and knew he was more than capable of searching for her on his own. Besides, Hope refused to stand by and do nothing whilst Light was missing, the former l'cie and guardian corps soldier had become like a mother figure to him, probably because their meeting coincided with the death of his mother. However since the group landed on Pulse for the first time and Hope had been able to summon his Eidolon, he had begun to feel less and less like a burden and thus Lightning had become less of the protective mother figure he had come to associate her with, now his feelings were more…. complex. Hope shook these thoughts from his head, he knew now was not the time to be dealing with them.

'Actually, I think I'll go and check nearer to the pillar, I guess I'll have to get used to being alone anyway' Hope retaliated to Sazh as he snapped out of his trail of thought.

Those words stung Sazh, as he knew he had upset the silver haired boy.

'Well, we'll rendezvous back here in around 20 minute's …okay kid?' Those were the only words Sazh could muster up as Hope began to make his way towards the base of Cocoons pillar.

* * *

Hope was making his way to the base of the pillar when he saw the sun begin to reflect off an object in the distance and straight into his large, but strangely cute, aqua orbs. Hope felt his pace begin to pick up, and before he knew it he was sprinting towards the glimmering object on the floor. As he drew closer to the mysterious object, he began to faintly recognise its size and shape, though this was not clear as the sun was still reflecting off the object and into his eyes thus hindering his vision, whatever this object was, it was clearly well looked after. When he got within a few steps of the object, he realised he was in only a few metres away from the base of the crystal pillar. He looked down at the object, shielding his eyes from the sun which was now reflecting off the crystal pillar.

Hopes heart sunk as he realised that the object before him was the knife which Serah had given to Lightning as her 21st birthday present, which in turn had been passed onto him during his mission to avenge his mother's death. Only now was he realising the irony of Serah purchasing the weapon which may have been used to murder her fiancé.

Hope stared at the knife for a few minutes, before finally bending down and grasping it in his hands. He took off one of his gloves using his teeth and began to caress the handle of the blade up and down with the fingers on his bare hand, somehow when he did this, it made him feel closer to Lightning, he could even smell her scent on the handle.

That's when everything dawned on Hope. Lightning was nowhere to be seen and he had found her knife at the base of the crystal pillar…. Could it be possible that Lightning had also turned to crystal and was helping Vanille and Fang support Cocoon?

'_No. There has to be some other explanation. Light wouldn't just leave me like this. She wouldn't! She promised that she wouldn't abandon me!'_

Hope's legs gave way, he fell on to his knees and began to quietly sob. Hope was in turmoil. His heart was telling him that Lightning couldn't be gone, that she wouldn't just abandon him like this. On the other hand his brain had reached a conclusion… she was trapped in crystal inside the pillar with Vanille and Fang.

Hope realised that he was supposed to meet up with the others a long time ago and that they would probably be worrying about him by now. He slowly stood up, dusted himself off, brushed the silver locks out of his face, wiped the tears from his eyes and started heading back to the rendezvous point, still hoping that one of the other groups would have found her and she would be standing there waiting for him.

Hopes heart skipped a beat when he drew closer and saw a girl with pink hair running towards him, but he was sent tumbling back down to reality when he saw it was just the younger Farron sister.

'Well, did you find anything? Do you know where my sister is?'

Hope extended both of his arms, his right arm placing the object he was clutching into Serahs palm and his left hand cupping the back of her hand reassuringly.

'It's Lightning's knife, I found it near the base of the pillar'.


	2. Extra Chapter Settling Down

So this is just an extra chapter I decided to put in between Chapter 1 at the Base of Cocoons Pillar (000AF) and Chapter 2 in New Bodhum (001AF). It is extremely short but I felt like it would not fit in either Chapter 1 or 2 and that I wanted to explain the transition between the 2. Anyway, the next proper chapter should be up in the next 3 days at the most. Oh and thanks for all the positive and constructive reviews, they have realy helped, at some point I will get around to responding to them via private messaging ^_^.

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It had been just over a year since Cocoon had fallen. After Lightning's disappearance the rest of the former l'cie set about rebuilding their lives on Gran Pulse.

Not wanting to be too far away from her sister, Serah had suggested that the group settled down near to the base of the pillar. Snow suggested that the group searched for an ideal location nearby to settle down on, Serah instantly agreed, however Sazh was worried that searching around on their own, especially now they were no longer l'cie, would be dangerous and that he didn't want to risk the safety of his son so soon after finally getting him back. Sazh decided to say his goodbyes and leave with Dajh under the protection of the army.

That only left Hope. Hope decided to go with Serah and Snow, because despite what he had learned from Lightning, he knew that without the powers of the l'cie there was no way he could survive the wilds of Gran Pulse on his own, besides Serah had said she wanted to settle down near the base of the pillar and Hope liked the idea of being close to his former home… and close to Lightning.

The 3 former l'cie didn't have to travel far before being reunited with a group of old friends … NORA. Serah, Snow and Hope agreed to help the other members of NORA create a small beachfront town on the shores of Gran Pulse; they would rather appropriately call it '_New Bodhum'._


	3. Chapter 2 New Bodhum 001AF

**Hey guys, I am overwhelmed by the response I have been given by reviewers (Even though there may not be many, they mean alot to me), I have tried to respond to reviewers via direct messages and will continue to do so to show my thanks :) Anyway, I know the first extra chapter was extremely short and so to make up for it this chapter is much too long :P Anyway I hope you enjoy reading it, the next chapter will just be another smaller extra chapter and should be posted some time in the next week. Thanks ^_^**

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**Paradigm Shift: Rapid Growth - Chapter 2**

_New Bodhum (001AF)_

'Hey Serah, come on if we don't leave now, we won't make it back before it goes dark!' Hope shouted across the half-finished NORA house.

Once every week since the group had begun to settle down in New Bodhum, Snow, Serah and Hope would make the journey to Cocoons pillar and have their lunch at the base. It was a ritual which had gone on for just over a year and each time it was done they would set out 3 extra chairs for Vanille, Fang and Lightning, with Lightning's chair being placed inbetween Serah and Hope, with Snow on the other side of Serah then Fang's and then Vanille's completing the circle next to Hope. Snow thought it was a bit silly to set out chairs for people trapped in the crystal pillar but when he brought this up with Serah and Hope they scowled at him and told him it was symbolic. To be honest Snow didn't really see the point in the whole thing, he always thought that it didn't matter because it's not like the 3 girls trapped in the pillar knew they were doing it for them.

Serah walked out of her room and slowly towards Hope.

'Serah? You're not even ready yet? We're never going to make it in time!' Hope fretted, knowing how dangerous the wilds of pulse could be, especially at night when the group's vision was impaired.

'Hope… I've got to tell you something' Hope had no idea what Serah wanted to say but by the nervous tone in her voice, he knew he wasn't going to like it.

'I think we should stop going to the crystal pillar, it's just that I think we need to accept that Lightning is trapped in that pillar and that she's never going to come out and…'

'Don't lie to me Serah!' Hope screeched at the younger Farron sister cutting her sentence off almost completely.

'We've made this trip for the last year! You think I don't see your face light up when we get to the pillar? You can feel Light's presence there just like I can and it fills you with hope that you'll see her again! So don't bullshit me Serah, this isn't because you want to mourn your sister, because you still hold the hope that you'll see her again just like me!' Serah was more than shocked by Hope's sudden outburst, but deep down she knew he was right, she was lying, there was more to it, but she knew exactly how he would react to hearing it.

'Serah? I'm waiting….'

'Well… it's just that… i've been talking to Snow and….'

'Don't tell me that knucklehead has got to you!' Hope cut off Serah again. Serah could feel herself losing her patience with the young silver haired boy, with how he kept cutting her off and the way he was speaking about her fiancé.

'He's not a knucklehead!' Hope had never seen the usually calm and collected Serah lose her temper before and was put back by her sudden outburst.

'Maybe he is right Hope! Every time we make this trip to the pillar we are risking our lives! We're not l'cie anymore Hope… Snow can't protect us forever! I'm not having my fiancé risk his life anymore just so we can live out some stupid fantasy! They don't even know we are there!'

'But I know!' Hope could feel small tears begin to form at the sides of those aqua eyes.

'What does that count for? Lightning may as well be dead!'

'Don't you dare talk like that! You talk like that and all hope is already lost!' Hope refused to accept that Lightning was dead, that she would just leave like that without saying goodbye; he would forever keep the hope that one day she would awake from her crystal slumber and return to him.

'What hope? The only hope here is you! And quite frankly I don't even know why you're here! My sister hardly knew you!' Serah knew that those words would hurt Hope but not nearly as much as they actually did.

'Shut up Serah! What do you know?' Hope was deeply hurt and he had stepped forward to shout right in the younger Farrons face, his words were so loud that they blew the pink strands of hair that fell lightly on either side of her face backward.

'I'm her sister!' Serah retaliated

Hope screamed at her, louder than he ever had before 'You don't love her like I do!'

The room fell completely silent.

Both Serah and Hope were in complete shock. Perhaps Hope even more so than Serah.

'Hope… I…'

Hope pushed Serah aside before she could complete her sentence and ran behind her, straight into the temporary shared bathroom, locking the door behind him. Hope sat down on the closed toilet lid with his head in his hands, already lost in his own thoughts.

'_Did I really just say that? Do I really love Lightning?'_

Hope needed some time to be alone and figure out his emotions and he knew exactly what he needed to do. He unlocked the bathroom door, grabbed the bag he had packed that morning for the trip and sneaked out the house, heading for Cocoons pillar.

The group had taken this trip so many times that Hope knew the safest route to the pillar without even having to think about it. Hope tried to be quiet as possible to remain undetected, but his real problem was the extremely heavy bag he was carrying on his back. Normally he had Serah to share the weight with, but she was too busy being poisoned by her idiot of a fiancé to care about her sister anymore.

Hope made it to the pillar undetected, the sun was still up so he was able to easily avoid any nasty wildlife, besides travelling on his own instead of in a small group made him harder to detect in the first place.

As he got closer to the pillar he set out the blanket and on top of it 2 chairs facing the pillar, one for him and one for Lightning. He pulled out his sandwiches, sat down on one of the chairs and started to bite down on his lunch. Hope stared at the pillar, thinking about all the time he had spent with Lightning, he can't deny more than once admiring the pink-haired woman's figure and the way her uniform opened at the bottom, revealing her pierced naval. He finished his sandwiches but still sat in the chair just staring at the pillar and thinking, he could feel her presence all the time he was sitting there.

After an hour had passed, Hope slowly rose from his chair and walked towards the pillar; he reached out his right hand and touched the pillar, moving his hand down in a stroking motion.

'Light? I don't know if you can hear me but I really miss you, it's not the same without you around. Snow's as arrogant as ever and I'm scared he's poisoning your sister, I wish you were still here to knock him on his ass like you used to'.

A small smile crept across Hope's face before tears started to fall down his smooth pale cheeks.

'Light…. I love you'.

* * *

Hope packed everything up into his bag except for the 2 chairs which he left at the base so that he would not have to carry them back again next time he came on his own. Hope looked over the horizon, there was no way he would make it back to New Bodhum before the sun set, but he had to try.

As Hope neared New Bodhum the sun set behind the mountains and the route home was plunged into darkness, luckily Hope could see the lights illuminating from the NORA house so there would be no chance of him getting lost.

Hope was almost back in New Bodhum, he was tired and was using the large rocks on his left side to guide him and offer him support. There was a small gap without any rocks for Hope to lean on and he stumbled until he could reach the next rock. He grabbed a hold of the next rock, clinging to it as much as he could, but this rock felt... different. Hope's heart skipped a beat when the 'rock' he was clinging onto began to move, Hope stepped back to see the eyes of a Feral Behemoth staring straight back at him.

Hope tried to run away but with one fell swoop the Behemoth raised its front leg and smacked Hope, causing Hope to fly off into the nearest rock. A sensation of pain shot through Hope as he was launched into the large piece of rubble. He tried to stand up but his legs gave way underneath him. The Behemoth started to walk towards Hope but Hope had formulated a plan. Hope withdrew his boomerang, slowly rose from the floor fuelled by adrenaline, and threw it at the Behemoth, it sailed straight passed the large creature, but it wasn't Hopes plan to hit the creature on the way through. The boomerang began to sail back and hit the Behemoth on the back of the head before returning to Hopes grasp. The behemoth turned away from Hope upon impact to see what had hit it, before wandering off, away from Hope, in search of its mystery attacker.

'Arrghhh!' Hope collapsed onto the floor, holding his ribs in pain, the adrenaline from the battle had worn off and now he realised for the first time the extent of his injury.

Hope slowly stood up using the rock behind him for support.

'Stupid Animal'Hope smugly whispered to himself.

However Hopes smugness was short lived as a Gorgonopsid pounced out from behind him and bit his left arm. Hard.

'Arrrrgggghhhh!' Hope screamed out in anguish. He shook his arm violently in attempt to shake the Gorgonopsid off, but the animal only bit down harder.

'Get off me!' Hope cried out. He filled with anger and raised his right arm, without warning a ball of fire shot out of his palm, connecting with the gorgonopsids face, the creature flew off Hopes arm with a large yelp, landing on its side on the floor a few metres away from him.

Hope dropped to the floor grasping at his arm which had been serverly savaged by the beast, he winced as he took his right hand away from the gash and brought it to his face… it was covered in blood.

'Grrrrr'

Hope looked up to see a very angry gorgonopsid growling at him. Hope had no choice but to accept his death, he was too weak to fight back, he bowed his head and thought of Lightning waiting for his fate.

'Stay away from him!'

Shots rang out around Hope; he looked up to see a dead gorgonopsid in front of him.

'Hope!'

Hope turned round to be greeted by the blue-haired member of NORA, holding a standard issue rifle.

'Yuj!'

Yuj ran over to the silver-haired boy and crouched down next to him.

'Hope, are you alright? I saw that thing bite your arm!'

'Ermm… I'll be fine, how long have you been standing there?' Hope said shakily

'Fine? Hope, you have a huge gash in your arm! C'mon we need to get you back to the house'

Yuj stood up and grabbed Hopes unharmed arm, bringing him to his feet.

The two boys began to make their way towards the NORA house. Yuj had his arm tucked round Hopes waist and Hopes arm was resting on Yuj's shoulder as he limped.

'So I'm guessing you're wondering how I saved you, right?' Yuj decided he was going to be the one to break the silence.

'Ermm…' Hope stumbled

'Well I was guarding the gates when I heard you scream out in pain, at the time I didn't know it was you, but I grabbed this rifle and headed up the mountain side just in time to save you're sorry ass!' Yuj stated proudly.

Hope remained silent except for a slight wince as he limped.

Yuj looked over and noticed Hope was holding his ribs with his right arm.

'Hey, when did you hurt your ribs? I only saw that creature bite your arm!'

'A behemoth attacked me before the other creature; it got me pretty bad.' Hope was slightly embarrassed that he had been badly defeated.

'You killed a behemoth?' Yuj exclaimed.

'Heh, not really I just… distracted it' Hope found it difficult to explain to Yuj what had happened.

'Either way you survived a behemoth attack that's no small accomplishment' Yuj reassured Hope.

'Yuj… you never answered my question earlier' Hope said out of the blue.

Yuj knew what question Hope was talking about but gave Hope a confused look anyway, in hope that he would just drop it.

'How long were you standing there when that creature attacked me? What did you see?' Hope probed Yuj for answers but Yuj seemed reluctant.

'Hope… I…. I saw the creature on your left arm and then a fireball came flying out of your right arm which sent the creature flying… I was so stunned I didn't say anything; I was going to turn back around and head back to the house before you could see me, but when I saw the creature get up and you were still on the ground, I knew I had to do something.'

'Please Yuj, I don't know what happened, I don't know how I can use magic, I haven't been near any fal'Cie so I can't be a l'Cie!'

'Well there's only one way to find out!'

Hope was startled when Yuj took his left hand, gently as to not aggrevate the gash on his arm, and pulled it towards his chest. Yuj began to unravel the cloth around Hope's wrist, revealing a re-awakened l'cie brand in stage 1 of its development.

'No! No, this can't be right! I completed my focus! This isn't fair!' Hope fell to the ground, ignoring the shooting pains in his ribs, lowered his head into his hands and began quietly sobbing.

Yuj kneeled down next to Hope and ran his hand through Hopes silver locks in an attempt to comfort the boy.

'Hope…I..'

Yuj was cut off by Hope who had lifted his head out of his hands and was now staring straight at Yuj with those large tear-soaked aqua eyes.

'Yuj… you can't tell anyone… please! I trust you… but the others can't find out! 'Hope pleaded as he slowly began to rewrap the cloth round his wrist to cover up the l'cie mark

Yuj nodded and got up on to his feet, dragging Hope up with him by his uninjured arm.

They began to make their way towards the NORA house once again in the same joint stance as last time.

'Your secret is safe with me' Yuj smiled.

* * *

The pair finally reached the NORA house and as they walked towards the door Yuj started to shout into the house.

'Lebreau, Snow, Serah, anyone?'

Lebreau rushed out of her tent and straight towards the boys, seeing Hopes gash and the way Yuj had to hold him up, she quickly turned back around and headed for the bathroom.

'I'll go and get the potions' Lebreau shouted as she ran away from the pair.

Yuj lay Hope down on the nearest available soft surface, just as Serah came running out of her tent, immediately followed by Snow.

'Hope!' Serah shouted as she ran towards the silver haired boy and kneeled down next to him, looking at Yuj for an explanation, as Snow joined her at Hopes side.

'I found him nearby being attacked by some weird looking creature, it had bit his arm and was ready to pounce again so I used my rifle to end its life before it could do the same to Hope, then I brought him back here and set him down, he's asleep, but still breathing fine, I already checked and Lebreau has gone to get potions'.

'Potions aren't going to be enough, we need to take him to a hospital' Serah stated

'What about that new city they're building on the other side of the pillar? I know it's under construction but it's got to have medical facilities right?' Snow added

Serah looked outside and noted how dark it was 'Yeah you're right, but we can't leave now, we'll have to wait until morning'.

Lebreau hastily entered the room, having heard the last bit of the conversation, with a few unlabelled flasks and bottles, 'Well, I guess potions will have to do until then'.

Snow ruffled, the still sleeping, Hope's hair 'Don't worry kiddo, everything will be alright.'

* * *

The next morning, as soon as the sun had risen Snow, Serah and Yuj set off to take Hope to the hospital, leaving Lebreau, Maqui and Gadot to look after New Bodhum. Originally Snow and Serah were going to take Hope on their own but Yuj insisted he go with them, since he was the one who found Hope in the first place, they agreed to let him come, to be honest they could use the help. Whilst Hope was now awake, thanks to the virtue of Lebreaus potions, he was still too injured and weak to walk and so Snow had to carry him on his back, like in PalumPolum.

As they walked past the crystal pillar Serah saw the 2 chairs which Hope had left and remembered their argument and what he had confessed to her the day before.

'Hope…' she said underneath her breath, she turned to Hope, who had clocked on to what she had saw, blushed, and faced away from her to avoid any further questions.

Eventually the group arrived in the Hospital and Hope was admitted straight away. Serah, Snow and Yuj stayed in the room with Hope, even whilst the Nurse took off the top half of his clothing to check out the damage to his ribs, she tried to remove the cloth around his wrists but as she began both Yuj and Hope shouted at her to stop. The other 3 people in the room were confused at first but then Hope made up a lie that it was a present from his mother and he never took it off, that was enough for everyone else to not ask any further questions.

The Nurse had been asking the group questions and then writing down their answers on her clipboard.

'And who is the patient's immediate family so that we can notify them of his condition?'

The room went silent as the group all looked around at each other nervously, none of the 3 visitors had the heart to tell the Nurse that Hope's mother had died and his dad presumably purged by the sanctum for helping the former l'cie escape.

'Mr Villiers? We do not have records for this boy; we need to know who his immediate family are so that they can be notified!' The nurse was confused to as why they had stumbled on such a routine question.

'Ermm.. well' Snow was cut off by the doors to the room swinging open.

'I am' exclaimed the man standing in the doorway.

Hope shot upright in his Hospital bed 'Dad!'


	4. Extra Chapter Moving On

Hey guys, sorry for the late update but i've been really busy recently. This chapter was actually completed days ago but I haven't had the chance to upload it. I'm hoping to update again some time in the next week. Anyway this is just another extra chapter to help explain the gap between the last main chapter and the next one. Hope you enjoy :)

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After a heart-felt reunion between Hope and his father. Bartholomew turned to Snow; thanking him for everything he has done for his son, before asking Snow, Serah and Yuj to give him and his son some privacy.

Bartholomew took a seat at the bottom of Hope's bed and the newly reunited father and son talked for hours. Hope told his father what had happened after they had last seen each other in PalumPolum that they had fought to save Cocoon and succeeded. Hope was scared that his father wouldn't believe him but Bartholomew trusted in his son's every word and even smiled proudly at how much Hope had accomplished at such a young age.

Hope continued, he told his father about the fate which Lightning, Fang and Vanille had succumbed to in order to save Cocoon. Bartholomew saw how his son's mood dropped when talking about what had happened to his friends, which told him exactly how much they had meant to the young silver-haired boy.

Bartholomew told Hope how he had been protected from the grasp of the Sanctum by the Cavalry and how him and the leader of the Cavalry, Rygdea, had built the foundations of a new organisation, set to replace the Sanctum in this new era, the Academy.

Bartholomew assured Hope that he had a home with his father and a place in the Academy, if he wished to accept.

Hope was reluctant at first; he had made good friends with the group in New Bodhum and would feel bad about leaving them before the town was completed. That was before Bartholomew assured Hope that if he was to come with him and join the Academy, after the initial set-up period, Bartholomew would divert resources to try and find a way of extracting the crystals of his friends and then how to waking them from crystal stasis.

Hope was incredibly excited at the prospect, knowing there was a possibility of him being with Lightning again, he immediately accepted his father's offer.

Hope spent his next few days in hospital, recuperating, preparing for his new life and trying to avoid any alone time with Serah, in an attempt to evade any conversations about his feelings for Lightning or their argument.

Hope's wounds eventually healed. He said his goodbyes to Yuj, Snow and Serah, successfully avoiding the undesired conversations with Serah and left with his father for his new life as an active member of the Academy.

Even though he was of a young age, the Academy accepted him straight away, due to the influence of his father in helping to start up the Academy in the first place. Hope decided not to tell anyone that he was a l'cie, he decided that his focus was to see Lightning again, to hear her voice one more time, to tell her exactly how he felt, to touch those soft pink lips with his own, even if it was only for a second before he turned to crystal himself, it would be worth it. Hope knew that the best way to go about this focus was to continue working for the Academy, but to keep his l'cie status to himself and pray to Etro that Yuj would do the same.

After just 1 year at the Academy, at the age of 16 Hope was given his own team and resources in order to investigate the crystal pillar and determine a safe way of extracting his friends safely and then to awaken them from their crystal slumber. Although 1 year had passed, when Hope looked at is left wrist, in private, the l'cie brand had remained the same, still in stage 1. Hope told himself that this was a sign that there was no failure option, no allotted time period before turning into a c'ieth, he was given his focus for a reason and he must complete it.

Hope led a team of scientists and mathematicians to try and figure out a safe way of removing the crystals of his friends from the pillar without Cocoon falling into Pulse.

After 2 years of the project turning up no results Hope was forced to abandon the project by his father, in an effort to concentrate on gathering an understanding of the paradoxes which were appearing on Cocoon and Pulse.

Hope was more than reluctant to abandon his project, to abandon Lightning. He had many heated arguments with the governing board at the Academy, but to no avail, he was knocked back every single time. Privately Bartholomew, Hopes father, tried to explain to his son that the Academy were shutting down most major projects in order to collect resources to investigate the appearance of paradoxes. Hope was frustrated by his father, he had promised in the hospital to help Hope rescue Lightning and now here he was telling the silver haired boy to abandon his efforts completely. Hope took the shutting down of his project as a personal jibe at him for not having any mentionable breakthroughs in the last 2 years, though this was far from the truth.

Hope and his team were given new assignments concerning the appearance of the paradoxes, but Hope independently continued his research. He would return to his apartment after a long day's work, make himself something quick to eat, get changed into something more comfortable and then spend the rest of the evening trying to figure out how to wake Lightning from her crystal slumber. A few times, members of his team had invited him out for drinks after work, but he always declined. Although he had begun to trust them all he still never told them what he was really doing. This was his project. It was up to him to save her now. Hope actually enjoyed the late nights, he thought it was all kind of romantic, although he knew if Lightning was there she'd shoot the thought down with a shake of her head and tell him to get on with it.

After another 2 years, Hope was still no closer to understanding the paradoxes or to recovering Lightning. He heard about a young researcher who helped to solve paradox Alpha in Bresha Ruins, Alyssa Zaidelle. After more than a few shared e-mails, he invited her to join his team; she accepted and in time became his most trusted team member and assistant.

After another 3 years, Hope had made great strides towards understanding the paradoxes, but was no closer to waking the woman he loved, to feeling her skin upon his own, to telling her he loved her.

After all, that was the only thing he really wanted.


	5. Chapter 3 Yaschas Massif 010AF

**_Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long since the last update again but i've been on holiday and have not had access to the internet until now. I have now finished writing this story all together, this is the penultimate chapter and then there is one more which will be released at the start of next week, this is definate because I have already finished writing it and so only have to upload it. Anyways thanks for all the great comments, they really help to motivate me to carry on writing. Hope y'all enjoy._**

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'_I wish you could hear me Light, I cannot get you out of my head ever since you disappeared, even as I sit here in my office completing this report my mind wanders to the time we spent together, you know, the parts where PSICOM weren't trying to lynch us in the streets' _

Hope couldn't help but let a small smile creep across his face at his last thought.

'Finally!' The sudden but familiar voice snapped Hope out of his trail of thought. Hope raised his head to see Alyssa standing in the doorway to his office with a large grin on her face.

'I was starting to think I would never see you smile again!' Alyssa teased Hope but there was an undertone of sincerity in her voice which Hope picked up on.

'My apologies Alyssa, I guess I have been a little down recently.'

Alyssa strutted over to Hope's desk, pulled the silver haired man of his seat and pulled him into a tight embrace.

'Don't worry, it's understandable, your father's death was difficult on us all, so I cannot imagine what it must be like for you.'

Hope slowly slipped out of Alyssa arms and walked away to look out of the window.

'Director? I didn't mean to…' Alyssa was cut off by the man she was trying to apologise to.

'I presume you've come up here for some other reason than to lore me into unexpected body contact?' Hope tried to steer the conversation away from personal aspects and regain professionalism.

'This time yes' Alyssa replied with a cheeky grin and a wink.

Hope had no idea how to respond to this flirtatious comment and so didn't, instead he simply stood there looking at his assistant until she continued talking.

'I've been doing some extra research, outside of my normal work hours and have calculated the next destination of your friend Serah and her time travelling companion, using data from the time gates in Bresha Ruins'.

'Alyssa, that's fantastic news! Where and more crucially, when will they appear next?' Hope exclaimed, edging himself towards his young assistant.

'Serah and her time travelling companion will arrive in the Yaschas Massif 010AF' Alyssa said proudly, she had really worked hard to obtain this information and was desperate for some recognition from the young Academy director.

'Great work Alyssa; I'll begin preparations to setup a temporary headquarters in the Paddraen Archaeopolis as soon as possible.

Alyssa grinned from ear to ear as she turned round to skip back out the door, just as she was about to make it out the door, she heard the directors voice from behind her.

'Oh and Alyssa, you can triangulate their next destination, but you still can't remember that time travelling boys name?' Hope teased; the news which Alyssa had given him had definitely lightened his mood.

'It began with an N…. I think…. I seem to remember him being rather cute though' Alyssa giggled before closing the door behind her as she ran off down the hallway.

Hope just shook his head and smiled at his young assistant's idiosyncrasies, which he had gotten used to, he had learnt to cope with her lively personality and even looked past her often flirtatious intentions, after all she was an invaluable part of his team and he could not afford to upset her.

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'_Light! Are you still alive? Who are you fighting? Are you in trouble? What does any of this mean? '_

'Director, are you going to sit there and stare at that oracle drive all day?'

Hope was startled by the familiar voice from behind him, he turned round to see Alyssa, leaning over towards him slightly with her hands behind her back and her head slightly cocked to the side.

'No, it's just…' Hope paused, pondering whether to tell Alyssa the truth, but he saw no reason not to, there was no-one else he trusted more, well maybe one person.

'I know the woman from the vision, back before Cocoon fell I...'

'Director! Outpost scouts have reported the emergence of a paradox and a following commotion just south of our position!' Hope had been interrupted by a slightly panicked Academy trained soldier.

'Thank you, I'll go and investigate it right now' Hope grabbed his boomerang off the table, folded it up and put it in his back pocket before leaving the main tent.

'Wait Director! Do you wish me to accompany you?' asked the Academy soldier.

'No thank you, it is not necessary' Hope couldn't risk anybody else seeing his abilities and knowing about his l'cie status other than Yuj.

Alyssa ran passed the Academy soldier and clung onto the directors' arm. 'I should come with you director, I have experience with dealing with real-life paradoxes from the Bresha Ruins'.

Hope shrugged his assistant off and started to run off in the direction of the paradox before shouting back to his assistant 'No Alyssa, I need you stay here and see if there is anything else you can find out from the Oracle Drive'.

Alyssa frowned and crossed her arms, before turning back around and walking over to the large table with the oracle drive placed on it.

Hope arrived to see Serah and her friend defeat a powerful rift creature. Hope then watched as the pair was caught off guard by the creature performing a powerful last resort attack by creating a rift and attempting to suck them into it. Hope knew that his magic attacks would not do enough damage to the creature to stop it from taking the pair, so he quickly buffed himself with Bravery, before whipping the boomerang out from his back pocket and throwing it at the creature, the boomerang ricocheted off the creature a few times, the last blow returning the monster to where it came from, before the boomerang came sailing back into Hopes hand.

'Hope!' Serah shouted with delight in seeing a familiar face.

Hope looked down to see the pink-haired girl jumping up and down and waving at him.

Serah ran upwards to him.

'Serah…' Hope was cut off as the younger Farron caught him in a friendly hug before pulling back and punching him playfully in the chest.

'Ow! What was that for?!' Hope looked puzzled.

'For not staying in contact after you left Bodhum!' Serah shouted in Hopes face.

Hope scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly guilty 'Yeah, I guess it has been a while hasn't it? I guess you better fill me in'.

By this time Serahs friend had caught up to the pair 'I'm guessing you two know each other then?'

'Oh, Noel, I'm so sorry I forgot you two hadn't met before Noel, this is Hope Estheim, he helped Snow , Lightning and the others save cocoon.'

'I could've guessed after seeing how he saved our asses, how did you learn to throw like that?!' Noel had been impressed by Hopes apparent skill with his weapon but Hope seemed to be shying away from the matter.

'Actually that is a good point Hope, you're no longer a l'cie, how can you still be that skilful with that thing? I remember in New Bodhum you could barely knock a can down with it.' Serah had decided to chime in, this just added to Hopes anxiety; he had no way of explaining it, no words which could erase their questions.

'Actually the director has been on a strict work-out regime ever since he joined the Academy as we require any active field personnel to be fit to face whatever danger they must come across, if you combine that with the improvements I made to his Boomerang, and his natural strength progression since you last saw him Serah, then there is no logical reason to why he is not more than able to deter an already severely wounded monster.'

'Alyssa! It's good to see you again'.The two females of the group ran up to each other before partaking in a much needed hug.

Hope was relieved since Alyssa's arrival and explanation had completely got the Academy Director off the hook, although he still wasn't sure why she felt the need to cover for him.

'It's good to see you too Serah, now let's head back to the main tent, we have much to discuss.' Alyssa said with a smile whilst pointing up the ramp to the largest tent in the vicinity.

On the way Alyssa told the time travelling duo all she knew about the Farseers and the relevant success of the Academy's excavation thus far.

When they approached the main tent, Alyssa ran ahead slightly and sat on the main table next to a hexagonal box, pointing her head towards the unfamiliar object 'And this is the Oracle Drive'.

'What does it do?' The younger Farron felt slightly stupid asking the question but she honestly had no idea of the purpose of the item.

'It records the visions of the seeress and stores them for future generations' Alyssa explained.

'So what prophecy does this one show?' The thought of being able to see into the future had intrigued the pink-haired girl.

'Actually…'

'Maybe it's better if you see for yourself' Alyssa had been interrupted by the silver-haired director who thought it better that the younger Farron saw it for herself.

Hope stepped forward and activated the Oracle Drive.

'Wait that's my sister… and she's fighting that guy again…. this is exactly like the dreams I was having!' Serah had walked slightly forward in excitement of seeing her sister.

'Actually I recognise it too; it's the same place I met her in…. Valhalla' Noel was slightly surprised by Hope's reaction to his last statement.

'Wait! Are you telling me you met Light? In the flesh? In this place you call Valhalla?' Hope had stepped forward and was now right in front of Noel's face.

'Yeah she asked me to bring Serah to Valhalla'

'So Light is not trapped in Cocoons pillar?! She's still out there? This vision is actually true? She's alive?' Hope was edging nearer to Noel

'Exactly' Noel was shocked as Hope grabbed hold of both of Noels shoulders and started shaking him vigorously.

'How? How did you get to Valhalla, I have to see her!' Hope was shouting in Noels face and Noel could feel the desperation in Hopes voice.

'I just wished for a miracle' Noel replied with a small grin on his face which was soon to be wiped off by the Academy Director.

'Wishing for a miracle? Is this some sort of joke to you? Because if it is, you did not even deserve to grace Claire Farron's presence!' Hope was angry that Noel was able to see Lightning and still could not give him any clear answers on how to find her himself.

Remembering the Directors feelings for her sister, Serah decided to intervene 'Hope please calm down, didn't she contact you in some way? She came to me and Snow in our dreams, have you had any unusual dreams Hope?'

In truth Hope had experienced many dreams which involved the older Farron sister but none of which conveyed a message from her or matched with the oracle drive.

Hope chose not to answer Serah's last question and instead simply turned around and started to walk towards his tent, filled with anger, sadness and even slight heartbreak, he completely ignored the cries of his name from the 2 female members of the group. He got back to his tent, zipped it closed and lay down in his makeshift bed, just staring at the ceiling whilst tears ran down from his glistening aqua orbs and down his soft, pale cheeks.

'_Why them? Why not me? I understand wanting to speak to your sister, but Snow? And meetinG Noel? Really? Did you think I couldn't help you? That I was too weak? With you at the end of my path nothing could've stopped me! I needed you… I still need you, but you don't need me do you?'_

The whole of Hope's tent seemed to fade away, the entire colour just disappeared from the world leaving Hope floating on his back in a sea of pure white, he tried to sit upright but his body stayed flat out, he ceased struggling and simply closed his still crying eyes, embracing the nothingness.

A voice echoed through Hopes head.

'Of course I do.'


	6. Chapter 4 Valhalla AF

**OK guys so here it is, the last chapter of Rapid Growth. Thanks to everybody who has followed it through, especially those who have left reviews, they have not only motivated me to keep going but also helped me to develop my skills and change with each chapter. Hope y'all enjoy :)**

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Hope opened his eyes, he was still surrounded by the beam of light but he could feel himself slowly falling. All of a sudden the beam of light ceased and Hope began to fall at a vast rate.

Hope turned around to see where he was falling towards; it was a large but apparently abandoned metropolis with a large structure like a palace in the centre, he thought he slightly recognised the place but was still too far away to identify it. Distance would soon not be a problem as he continued to fall towards the city at an alarming rate. As he got closer he began to identify certain landmarks, including the large beaches and bright blue shores and all of a sudden it hit him, he knew exactly where he was.

'Valhalla!' he managed to scream before the air rushing around him immediately refilled his lungs.

At that moment the air escaped him once more has he was winded by landing on something… hard. This confused Hope as he was still a long way from reaching the infrastructure found in the city. He looked around to find he was being transported through the skies on the back of some sort of flying creature, it was large and white with turquoise and gold trimmings, he instantly recognised the colours of the creature.

'Odin?' Hope shouted

The creature simply responded by abruptly turning round and swooping towards the main building in the metropolis.

As they hovered a few inches above the balcony of what seemed to be some sort of temple, Odin transformed out of his Gestalt form and into his original form, carrying Hope in his arms. Odin gently placed Hope on the balcony before re-gestalting and flying off again.

'Odin! Wait where's Light?!' Hope screamed at the Eidolon but it had already disappeared

Hope faced off the balcony and admired the view whilst dusting himself off and sorting out his academy outfit which had been thrown into disarray during the fall.

'It looks fine' a more than familiar voice rang out from behind Hope, he turned round quickly in anticipation.

Out stepped Lightning from behind one of the pillars. As she stood a few metres in front of him, Hope couldn't help but think that she was even more beautiful than before. She had changed since Hope had last seen her, she was now dressed in silver armour donned with feathers at the hip but some things remained the same, her strawberry pink locks still fell perfectly over her left shoulder, in the way which Hope loved, and her lips looked just as soft and kissable.

'Light!' He ran towards her and trapped her in a tight embrace and to his surprise, she returned the gesture.

'Hope' Lightning said under her breath with a hint of relief in her voice, resting her head on his right shoulder.

Lightning looked up at the man before her, he was no longer a boy, she felt strange resting her head on his shoulder as the last time they met she'd have had to lean down to hug him. His hair was now longer and straight but still the silver colour she remembered, and boy did he wear that uniform well.

'Hope' Lightning said pulling away from the embrace to get a better look at her former companion 'You've changed so much since we last met, I mean I've seen you like this before, but seeing it in person is completely different, you look….'

Lightning couldn't quite finish her sentence so she didn't; instead she chose silence as she brushed passed Hope and leant on the stone railings on the balcony.

Hope walked forward and did the same thing but on her right-hand side 'You don't look too bad yourself'.

Lightning blushed, Hope had never seen her blush before, especially not at anything he had said, and he liked it.

Hope leant back off the railing and looked at the girl whom he had fallen in love with 'Wait, you said you had seen me looking like this before, how?'

Lightning let out a small laugh but chose to remain facing outward rather than toward the silver-haired man staring at her 'From Valhalla I see everything'.

'Really? Wait…. you see everything?!' Hope asked, putting emphasis on his last word.

'Yes Hope, everything' Lightning said with a smile as she turned towards Hope.

Hope turned away in embarrassment, as he realised she had seen him profess his love for her at cocoons pillar and the many times afterward in private. He chose to ignore this fact and to try and change the topic of conversation.

'In the vision showed by the oracle drive you were shown fighting a purple haired man, where is he? Have you killed him?'

Lightning turned back towards the view, leaning on the stone railings of the balcony once more 'Hmph, I wish it was that simple, for now he is distracted by the actions of Serah and Noel, Etro, I hope they are ready for him'

Hope's heart sank as he remembered that Lightning had contacted Serah, Noel and Snow several years before even considering him. He turned towards Lightning and began to speak 'Lightning?' She turned round to face him and immediately realised that serious look on his face.

'_Lightning? He never calls me that, he always calls me Light?!_'

'Why them? I mean I understand your sister but why Snow and Noel, why not me?! Is it because you didn't care about me or…..'

Lightning interjected at this point slightly angry 'No Hope! It's the exact opposite! It's because I care too much! I could cope with losing Snow or Noel if it meant I could be with Serah again, but not you Hope!'

Hope was slightly alarmed at hearing this, Lightning almost never let emotion get the better of her, but his heart warmed at hearing the real reason to why Lightning never called upon him. But at the same time he felt a pang of guilt that he hadn't trusted her more.

'Light…. I'm sorry… I… I thought you didn't care or you thought I was too weak to help, I should've kept faith in you' Hope sank his head but was alarmed when she reached for his hand before rolling up his sleeve and without warning ripping the handkerchief from around his wrist.

'Not strong enough? You're a l'cie Hope!' she said, smiling at him.

'How did you know?' Hope asked but immediately knew the answer 'Oh of course, from Valhalla you see everything' he said smiling back at her.

'Not quite' she replied, her smile dropped and she turned to face away from him.

'It was me' the pink-haired girl said quietly, not sure how the Academy Director would react.

'You? How could you possibly turn me into a l'cie?' Hope asked almost jokingly.

'When you awaken from crystal stasis you are not simply cured of being a l'cie, your l'cie powers and symbol lie dormant, in case they ever need to be reawakened in the future. When you were attacked on your way back from the pillar, I pleaded with the Goddess to re-awaken your l'cie characteristics, she was fading but she did as I asked as payment for me pledging myself to her side. However as the reawakening was issued by the Goddess and not a fal'cie you were not given a focus and therefore your brand lies in stage 1 for eternity'. Lightning was worried about how Hope would react, they had spent so long trying to free themselves from the shackles of being a Pulse l'cie and she thought he might be upset, to have been free, only to have been forced into it once again.

'You did that for me?' Hope smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Lightning turned back around towards him and smiled back 'Well I couldn't just let you die, you're way too cute for that'.

Her face dropped.

'_Did I really just say that?_'

Now it was Hope's turn to blush.

Hope inched closer to Lightning 'You know, I never stopped looking for you, looking for a way to get you out of that pillar, for a way to see you again. I never forgot you, you were my first thought when I woke and my last before I slept, Light I need you, I love….'

Hope was cut off by Lightning placing her index finger on his lips.

'Hope, I know, remember? From Valhalla I see everything' She smiled.

'However there is one thing I need to know' Lightning teased whilst removing her index finger from his lips.

'Anything' Hope replied, longing to have her skin touch his own once more.

'I saw you with a girl… Alyssa, she was very …. friendly with you, are you and her….'

'No. Our relationship is purely professional. You are the only one for me and you always have been, Light'.

Lightning smiled and blushed once more.

'You're quite the charmer Mr Estheim' Lightning replied with a small smile, whilst playing with the end of his tie.

'I had a lot of time to prepare' Hope answered also with a small smile. Their faces were almost touching and they could feel every breath made between them.

Eventually Hope leaned in and touched those soft pink lips with his own, the kiss lasted around 8 seconds before Lightning pulled away.

'I love you too Hope'.

Hope smiled and looked down to his l'cie brand 'Then I guess my focus is complete'.

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**P.s. Look out for more stories in the future ;)**


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